Single Black Female is a story about American life and how the color of your skin impacts what that’s like. Ivy Donovan has been completely loyal to her man, Michael, during the many years he has been in prison. She has been putting his needs and wants before her own, working hard to make a…
Mistletoe in Juneau has its warm and sweet spots. Unfortunately, the book addresses its amputee hero with somewhat abelist language and indulges in major instalove, which made it impossible for me to give it a recommendation. The romance itself is sweet without leaning into the syrupy side of things, but readers won’t lose out if…
In Tacos for Two, Betsy St. Amant uses the plotline from the movie You’ve Got Mail, even including favorite lines that her hero and heroine share through their own communication on an online dating service. In the end, the way to love takes a winding path in this fun romantic comedy. Living in Modest, Texas,…
By now, y’all know the drill. It’s December, so that means it’s time for another volume of the Best Women’s Erotica of the Year. In 2021, editor Rachel Kramer Bussel has, as usual, included pieces from several well-known romance authors (Adriana Herrera, Angelina M. Lopez and Holley Trent in this edition), but news names abound. …
In Couples Wanted, two pairs decide to swap partners for the evening. The sex is pretty good, but what isn’t is the nightmare that occurs afterward. The book offers readers a fun, juicy, surprising, and ultimately uplifting story. Bridget and Roman Pierce are a happy, affluent couple who decide to indulge in a bit of…
Adriana Herrera’s Sambrano Studios series – about a family-run movie business – adds a charming chapter with Just for the Holidays, a Christmas-themed romance with a lot of wonderful tension and romantic warmth. Perla Sambrano is a casting director trying to coax her ex into taking a part in a new telenova produced by her…
I have been blown away. Chloe Gong set a high bar with These Violent Delights, a 1920s fantasy version of Romeo and Juliet which transports the story’s action to Shanghai. Our Violent Ends is the first book’s equal. Gong’s talent remains unstinting. You need to read this book. It’s now 1927, and Juliette Cai is…
Warning: I am a sucker for Louise Erdrich’s work, and I have been ever since I read The Antelope Wife. Ergo, I am not an impartial audience for this book, and you might not enjoy the sprawling, character-driven, magical realism-filled portrait she paints as much as I did. The Sentence is a damn good, beautifully…
The Singles Table is the whimsical, warm-hearted third novel in Sara Desai’s Marriage Game series. Each book stars members of the very large and extended Patel family but you do not have to have read any of the previous volumes to enjoy this one. Zara Patel is determined never to marry. That doesn’t mean, however,…
The Fastest Way to Fall is Denise Williams’ funny and charming second romance novel. While characters from her début How to Fail at Flirting make an appearance here, you don’t have to read that volume to enjoy this one. Britta Colby has spent four years as an editorial assistant at Best Life, a millennial focused…
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